Political commentary from the LA Times

Obama urged to issue black boxer Jack Johnson a posthumous pardon

October 20, 2009 | 12:01
pm

Jack Johnson was the most famous African American of his day, the first black heavyweight boxing champion. In 1910, he gave a black community with little to cheer about a stunning lift by defeating white champion Jim Jeffries in Reno, a historical first that led to race riots by the white audience.

In 1913, Johnson's relationship with a white woman led to his conviction for violating the Mann Act, which prohibited the transportation of women across state lines for "immoral" purposes. At a time when blacks in the South were lynched for even looking at a white woman, he served 10 months in jail.

During the summer both the House and Senate passed resolutions unanimously urging Obama to grant a pardon. As McCain put it at the time, "Rectifying this injustice is long overdue. [The resolution recognizes] the unjustness of what transpired, and sheds light on the achievements of an athlete who was forced into the shadows of bigotry and prejudice."

No word from the White House yet about what Obama will do, but as the first African American president -- a child of a white mother and a black father -- it's hard to imagine he would resist history's call. Or Congress' for that matter.

[For the record: A previous version of this post incorrectly reported that writer Howard Sackler based his movie “The Great White Hope” on “his story.” Actually, “The Great White Hope” was originally a Pulitzer Prize-winning play.]